If you’re working with a recipe that calls for the eggs to be separated into whites and yolks, it’s easier to separate them while the eggs are still cold—at room temperature, yolks break easily. Once the eggs are separated, place the whites and yolks in separate thick ramekins or other sturdy ceramic vessels. Set the ramekins in a cake pan and pour hot water (not warm water this time—the heat needs to penetrate the ramekins) into the pan until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Buttermilk, cream, and milk
Buttermilk, cream, and milk are easy to bring to room temperature quickly: Simply pour the amount needed for the recipe into a microwave-safe container and heat at 20% power in 10-second intervals until the liquid has warmed to room temperature. Just be careful not to leave in the microwave unattended for long periods—cream has a tendency to foam and buttermilk has a tendency to separate (though giving it a good whisking before using it solves this easily).
If you don’t have a microwave, heat the amount needed in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for a minute or so, swirling the pan every 10 seconds.
Crème fraîche, sour cream, and yogurt
Cultured dairy, like crème fraîche, sour cream, and yogurt, is a bit trickier to bring to room temperature quickly—it takes on a funky odor when warmed in the microwave. My solution is low tech. I scoop out the amount needed for the recipe and place it in a heatproof bowl. I then place the heatproof bowl on top of my oven, close to where it vents heat (most ovens have a “hot spot” on the surface of its range where this occurs). As the oven preheats, it warms the dairy to room temperature.
If you have a fancy oven that doesn’t emit heat this way, you can always warm up the dairy in a double boiler. Cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, whisking continuously to prevent it from scorching.
Once you know how to bring your dairy to room temp quickly, you can bake in less time—and, therefore, you can make even more. Win, win.
Adapted from the book Weeknight Baking by Michelle Lopez. Copyright © 2019 by Michelle Lopez. Reprinted by permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
